Divided light windows



F. C. BRENGMAN ETAL June 7, 1966 DIVIDED LIGHT WINDOWS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 9, 1964 5 m TN M N w s N 55% R 5 c 7 H 0 5w RE FKM Y B ATTORNEYS June 7, 1966 F. c. BRENGMAN ETAL 3,254,465

DIVIDED LIGHT WINDOWS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 9, 1964 INVENTORS FRED C. BRENGMAN ATTORNEYS June 7, 1966 F. c. BRENGMAN ETAL 3,254,465

DIVIDED LIGHT WINDOWS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 9, 1964 INVENTORS FRED C. BRE/VGMAN KE/TH C. BRENGMAN BY M, M 9 M ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,254,465 DIVIDED LIGHT WINDOWS Fred C. Brengman and Keith C. Breugman, both of Lancaster, Ohio, assignors to The Malta Manufacturing Company, Malta, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Jan. 9, 1964, Ser. No. 336,772 7 Claims. (Cl. 52-455) This invention relates to muntin structures which divide window openings into small pane areas to achieve an architecturally and aesthetically pleasing appearance, and more particularly to removable muntins used to so divide single-pane window openings.

For architectural and aesthetic reasons it is sometimes desirable to install windows which have a plurality, or an appearance of a plurality, of small window pane as, for example, in Cape Cod and colonial type homes, rather than large, unobstructed, single-pane windows such as picture windows. However, the cost of manufacturing window units having a plurality of small panes is greater because of an increase in the number of manufacturing operations, the number of component parts to be assembled, and the amount of labor required in assembling such a multi-pane window. Furthermore, a window having a plurality of small panes is much harder to clean, reputty, and paint, both in the original manufacture and the subsequent maintenance of the window.

As shown by United States Letters Patent No. 2,681,481 to Mason, a removable muntin having a grid fitting within the window opening adjacent the pane to efiect a multipane, divided-light appearance without the above described disadvantages of multi-pane windows is known. However, in the Mason structure the ends of the grid bars must be accurately cut to the exact height or width of the window opening and must be shaped to conform to the surface profiles of the window sash members against which they abut. Thus, a grid for the upper sash of a window cannot be interchanged with out for the lower sash according to the Mason invention inasmuch as the surface profiles of the lower sill of upper and lower sashes are customarily diflerent. Further, prior art removable muntins, such as shown in the Mason patent, require special modification of the sash members of the window or require the installation of special fixtures and hardware on the sash for the purpose of mounting the muntin. I

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide improved removable muntins for windows which obviate the disadvantages of prior art devices.

To accomplish this object, the present invention provides unique muntin mounts positioned at the ends of the grid bars of removable muntins to frictionally engage the inner edges of the window sash or pane-framing members upon insertion of the muntin therein. These mounts retain the muntin in place because of their frictional engagement with the sash members and thus require no .special hardware nor modification of the window sash.

The mounts are designed to have suflicient resilient give so that the mounts themselves accommodate minor variations in the dimensions of the window or pane opening so that the muntins are readily interchangeable between Windows of the same approximate size and between windowns with sash members having differing inner edge surface profiles. Finally, the resilient mounts are constructed so that upon removal or attempted removal of the installed muntin, the mounts are effective to automatically increase the frictional forces between the mounts and the sash members to enhance the retaining characteristi-cs of the frictional mounts.

In one specific embodiment of the present invention, the frictional mounts are spring-like clips fabricated from resilient strips of spring metal. The clips are configured Patented June 7, 1966 so as to have a generally flat base section adapted to be retained in a slot provided in the ends of the grid bars of the muntin. Generally ogee or S-shaped intermediate body sections adjoin the base section to resiliently flexibly connect with outer arcuate sections of the clips which are adapted to contact and to frictionally engage the inner edge surfaces of the sash members.

Accordingly, other objects of the present:- invention include:

(1) The provision of improved, removable window 'muntins which require no modification of, or installation of hardware on, the window sashes in which they are to be mounted; v

(2') The provision of improved removable muntins which are interchangeable between-windows of the same approximate size and between windows having differing inner edge surface profiles;

(3) The provision of improved removable-muntin window combinations in which the muntins are frictionally held in place;

(4) The provision of improved removable muntins which allow for greater tolerances in the manufacture thereof;

(5) The provision of improved window muntins which may be more cheaply and simply manufactured and installed than prior art devices;

(6) The provision of improved window muntins which are frictionally retained in place and which automatically increase the retaining friction upon application of a force tending to remove the muntin from the window; and

(7) The provision of improved, novel spring clips for frictionally mounting removable-muntins in windows.

These and other objects of the present invention will more-fully appear from the following description and appended claims when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a window unit and a removable muntin in position for insertion in the unit in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a spring clip in the end of one of the grid bars of the removable muntin of FIGURE 1; p

FIGURE 3 is a side view of the spring clip of FIG- URE 2;

FIGURE 4 is substantially a front view of the spring clip of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a side view of the grid bar and spring clip of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary section through the window unit of FIGURE 1 withthe removable muntin mounted therein;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of a window unit and a removable muntin in position for installation in the unit in accordance with a modified embodiment of the present invention;

FIGURE 8 is a view of the back or exterior of a spring clip in the end of one of the grid bars of the muntin of FIGURE 7; and

FIGURE 9 is a perspective view of the spring clip of FIGURE 8.

As shown generally in FIGURE 1, a window unit 10 is mounted in a building structure 12 and includes an upper sash 14 and a lower sash 16 each of which has a single other desired pattern. Grids 23 are provided with spring clips 26 at their peripheral portions where they abut the pane-framing members of the sash or window.

As shown in greater detail in FIGURES 2 to 5, the end of grid bars 24 are each provided, in the specific grid configuration illustrated, with a slot 28 in a plane parallel to the window pane. In one preferred embodiment, spring clip 26 is configured from a sheet or strip of resilient, spring-like metal such as copper alloy to have a substantially flat base section 30 to fit into slot 28 in the grid bar. Lower corners 32 of base section 30 are pointed to dig into the grid bar at the bottom 34 of slot 28.

.Base section 30 is further provided with a longitudinally extending cut 36 in the central portion thereof and the sheet material on either side of the cut is permanently deformed in opposite directions to define elongated protrusions 38 and 40. These protrusions bite into and grip the opposite side Walls of slot 28 to retain the spring clip therein.

The outer or upper end of base section 30 is interconnected with an ogee or S-shaped intermediate clip section 42 which in turn integrally terminates in an arcuate terminal section 44 of the clip. Arcuate section 44 terminates in a smooth rounded edge 46. Intermediate section 42 and terminal section 44 are so shaped that the convex surface 48 of arcuate section 44 is disposed to face obliquely outwardly and rearwardly (from the point of view of a person installing the muntin on the inside of a Window unit) from the base section and grid bar.

Operation As shown in FIGURES 1 and 6, removable muntin 22 is inserted in a sash of window unit 10 with convex surfaces 48 of spring clips 26 toward the window and away from the person installing the muntin. Convex surfaces 48 contact the inner edges 50 of the sash members of sash 14 or 16 and are resiliently urged to flex to the installed configuration of the clip as shown in FIG- URE 6. Inner edges 50 of sash 14 may have a configured profile as shown at 52 or maybe straight as shown by the dot-dash line 54, the operation of the spring clip being substantially the same in either case.

The sliding friction between arcuate terminal section 44 and sash edge 50 during installation is applied to the .clip in a direction which tends to flexibly collapse the clip and thus relieve the frictional resistance to ease installation. However, friction between the spring clip and the sash upon attempted removal of the muntin, either accidental or intended, tends to open up the spring clip and thus increase the frictional force between the clips and the sash with a wedging action to enhance the holding capability of the clips.

As illustrated by FIGURES and 6, the clearance between the ends of grid bars 24 and inner edges 50 of the window is not critical as the spring clips have sufiicient flexibility to r'etainingly grip the sash throughout a range of clearances between the grid bar ends and the paneframing members.

Modification As shown in FIGURES 7 to 9, a window unit 70, in this instance a casement type window, has an outwardly opening sash 72 comprising side sash rails 74 (only one shows) top sash rail 76, and bottom sash rail 78 and a single pane of glass 80 mounted within the sash rails. The sash rails 74, 76, and 78, respectively have inner edges 82, 84, and 86 which extend substantially perpendicularly inwardly away from the interior surface of pane 80.

A removable muntin 90 is positioned in sash 72 to create a diamond divided light appearance. Muntin 90 has a plurality of grid bars 92 arranged in a diamond shaped pattern with four ends 94 of the grid bars shaped to terminate in surfaces 95 fitting parallel to the inner sash rail edges 82, 84, and 86 at the corners of the sash.

In order to accommodate corner spring clips 100, each terminal end 94 is provided with an internal slot 96 (the end of the slot being shown by a dashed line in FIG- intersections 101 of grid bars 92 in addition to the corner clips 100 described in detail below.

In the preferred form of this embodiment, each spring clip 100 is configured with a substantially flat base section 102 which fits into slot 96 of the grid bar. Base section 102 is provided with prick-punched deformations 103 to bite into and grip the sides of slot 96 to assist in retaining the clip therein.

Two independent ogee-shaped intermediate strip-like sections 104 and 106 are connected to base section 102 and integrally terminate in arcuate terminal sections 108 and 110 having rounded outer edges 112 and 114. Intermediate sections 104 and 106 and terminal sections 108 and 110 are configured so that the convex surfaces of arcuate terminal sections 108 and 110 are disposed to face obliquely outwardlyand rearwardly (from the viewpoint of a person installing the muntin on the inside of a window unit) from the base section and grid bar.

The spring clip 100 of this embodiment may preferably be made from two spring clips 26 of the embodiment of FIGURES 1 to 6 which are spot welded at 116 or otherwise suitably secured at their base sections with their ogee sections mutually positioned at substantially 90 degrees, as required by the rectangular corners of the sash of FIGURE 7. However, the clip and/or base of this embodiment, as well as that of FIGURES 1 to 6, may be constructed in other forms so long as the sash rail engaging surfaces of the clips are properly positioned and resiliently supported to frictionally engage the sash rails upon installation in a window as described below.

Upon installation of the removable muntin of FIGURE 7, the four spring clips on grid bar ends 94 resiliently but independently flex upon contact with the sash rails to slide across the inner edges 82, 84, and 86 of the rails until grid 90 abuts glass pane 80. Considering specifically the upper left-hand corner of the muntin, arcuate termi nal sections 108 and of the clip contact and slide across inner edges 84 and 82, respectively, of the top and side sash rails. The friction gripping action of each of the clips independent terminal sections is substantially the same as described above for the embodiment of FIGURES 1 to 6.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A unitary spring mounting clip defined by a configured sheet of resilient material for use with removable window muntins comprising:

(a) a base section adapted for fixed connection to a muntin, said base section being generally flat and including mounting protrusions adapted to retainingly engage the sides of a slot in said muntin to retain said clip therein;

(b) an arcuate terminal section having its convex surface facing away from said base section and being adapted to smoothly contact a framing member around a window pane; and

(c) an intermediate section interconnecting said terminal and base sections adapted to permit said arcuate terminal section to resiliently flex toward said base section upon insertion of said muntin in a window.

2. A clip as defined in claim 1, said base section having terminal mounting points adapted to engage the bottom of a slot in said muntin to retain said clip therein.

3. A unitary spring mounting clip defined by a configured sheet of resilient material for use with removable window muntins comprising:

(a) a base section adapted for fixed connection to a muntin;

(b) a first arcuate terminal section having its convex surface facing away from said base section and being adapted to smoothly contact a framing member around a window pane;

(c) a first intermediate section interconnecting said terminal and base sections adapted to permit said arcuate terminal section to resiliently flex toward said base section upon insertion of said muntin in a window;

(d) a second arcuate terminal section disposed at an angle to the first arcuate terminal section and having its convex surface facing away from said base section and being adapted to smoothly contact another framing member adjacent a corner of a windor pane; and

(e) a second intermediate section interconnecting said second terminal section and said base section adapted to permit said second arcuate terminal section to resiliently flex toward said base section upon insertion of said muntin in a window.

4. In a removable-muntin and window combination:

(a) a window comprising interconnected, elongated window framing members having their inside edges defining the window opening, said edges having substantially uniform cross-sectional surface profiles throughout their lengths adjacent the opening, and a pane of glass mounted within said framing members to close the opening; and

(b) a removable muntin comprising a grid adapted to fit removably within said framing members adjacent said pane, and spring mounting clips defined by configured resilient sheet material mounted upon said grid at the ends of the grid members to retain it in place against said pane, said spring mounting clips being the only means retaining said grid in place against said pane and each clip comprising:

(1) a generally flat base section fitted in a slot in the muntin,

(2) an arcuate terminal section having its convex surface facing away from said base section to smoothly contact one of said uniform-profiled inside edges of said framing members to secure said grid in said window, and

(3) a resilient ogee-shaped section interconnecting said terminal and base sections to permit said arcuate terminal section to resiliently flex toward said base section when said grid is installed.

5. A unitary spring mounting clip defined by a configured sheet of resilient material for use with removable window muntins comprising:

(a) a base section adapted for fixed connection to a muntin, said base section being generally flat and including mounting protrusions adapted to retainingly engage the sides of a slot in said muntin to retain said clip therein;

(b) a terminal section adapted to smoothly contact a framing member around a window pane; and

- (c) an intermediate section interconnecting said terminal and base sections adapted to permit said terminal section to resiliently flex toward said base section upon insertion of said muntin in a window.

6. A combination as defined in claim 4, each said clip including:

(a) a second arcuate terminal section disposed so as to smoothly contact another of said uniform profiled inside edges of said framing members at a corner of said window to secure said grid therein; and

(b) a second resilient ogee-shaped section intercom-- necting said second terminal section and said base section to permit said arcuate terminal section to resiliently flex toward said base section upon installation of said grid.

7. A combination as defined in claim 4 wherein said ogee-shaped section is oriented to interconnect said arcu-.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS" 985,l 2/1911 Lee 29276 2,681,481 6/1954 Mason 2040 3,130,457 4/1964 Anderson 20-52 FOREIGN PATENTS 555,756 9/ 1943 Great Britain.

HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

REINALDO P. MACHADO, Examiner.

A. I. BREIER, Assistant Examiner. 

